The invention relates in general to communication systems and more specifically to synchronization in a multiple-carrier communication system.
Due to advantages over other modulation techniques, communication systems utilizing multiple-carrier signals are currently being implemented for a variety of applications. Communication systems using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) techniques are gaining acceptance for applications such as broadcast television, mobile wireless and fixed wireless, including wireless local loop (WLL) applications. OFDM modulation techniques provide high data rate transmission over hostile channels with a system having a relatively low complexity. A typical wireless transmission channel subjects a transmitted signal to multi-path dispersion, resulting in numerous versions of the signal arriving at the receiver at different times. The transmitted signal is reflected and refracted through multiple transmission paths having different characteristics. The resulting interference between the versions of the signal causes inter-symbol interference (ISI) of the transmitted data. OFDM techniques typically employ a guard time between symbols to reduce ISI. Also, since OFDM utilizes multiple-carrier signals transmitted through the transmission channel, frequency-selective fading impacts a smaller portion of the transmitted data than is the case with single-carrier systems. OFDM techniques simplify the complexity of multiple-carrier receivers by using a rectangular-shaped sub-carrier for generating the multiple-carrier signals.
The performance in an OFDM system, however, is highly correlated to the synchronization between the transmitter and receiver. Small errors in frequency or timing can greatly reduce the performance of the system. Many conventional synchronization techniques are limited in that the received data must be demodulated and analyzed in order to correct for synchronization errors and as a result require significant overhead of time and processing power.